Animal owners who have suitable pens, corrals and cages and the like for restraining unattended pets for extended periods of time frequently employ someone to feed their pets. Animals are conventionally fed at selected intervals, such as morning and evening. The expense of employing someone to twice daily feed an animal can be substantial.
Pet owners who have enclosed areas, such as fenced yards, sometimes permit their pets to remain unattended in the fenced area for limited periods. Feeding is sometimes attempted by merely depositing, in an open container, a supply of food which should adequately feed the animal during the period of absence. Such practice invites other animals to enter the fenced area and consume the food. Moreover, the food is sometimes subjected to the elements and becomes contaminated. This practice also encourages the bad habit of over-eating. Since either an over supply or under supply of food encourages improper feeding habits, the practice should be avoided. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and novel apparatus for periodically dispensing animal food.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel animal feeder which will improve the dietary health by regulating the allowance of food for animals.
Animal feeders have been provided heretofore, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,162 granted to Antonio R. Lopes on June 26, 1973 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,191 issued to Ralph E. Kawecki on Sept. 8, 1970, however, such prior art animal feeders dispense a fixed quantity of food at periodic intervals. If an animal does not consume the dispensed food at one of the feedings, the prior art animal feeder would dispense an over supply of food at the next feeding. This does not encourage good eating habits.
An automatic poultry feed and water dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,548 issued to W. E. Wolfe on Feb. 8, 1955 and operates to dispense food when the previously dispensed food has been consumed. Such a feeder might allow the animal to consume an excessive amount of food.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus which will operate at predetermined intervals, when less than a predetermined amount of product, such as food, is received by a trough, to dispense feed until the predetermined amount of product is again received by the trough.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.